You're a hot mess and I'm falling for you

[Lenore Pelletier]

The night of the ball had arrived, and Lenore was suffiently nervous. It was her first ball, yes, because she had only been at the school for one year. It was also the first time she had a date to anything before, and her cousin's weddings didn't count. She was nervous about her dress, a strappy number with wrinkles or ruffles, she couldn't really tell. She was nervous about her brown high heeled shoes, that she had never worn prior to this day. She didn't know if she was going to fall over or not, but she wanted to stay on her feet for at least the few hours this stupid ball was. Her and her date could just appear long enough so her brother could report back to their mother telling her that Lenore did indeed go to the ball, and then they could go skip rocks or something. If Jacob wasn't off with another girl by then.

Lenore didn't even know how to dance, which was clearly a problem for this night. They could just sit and eat and laugh at Aro's awkward swaying from side to side, as he danced with whatever girl asked him to. They could laugh at the couples that would break up because of this ball, because their dates had done one thing wrong that would ruin the entire night. They could grimace at the happy couples that looked like they were going to get married by the end of the night. Lenore could get one of her rat pack girls to constantly refill her punch or even pack her bags so she wouldn't have to that night. The only reason Lenore felt a little regret was the fact that her date was Jacob Brant.

The two of them had become friends rather recently, but they seemed to hit it off almost instantly, with Lenore's sardonic comments and his womanizing ways. Though they were complete opposites, and Lenore preferred to think of his as a rapist because she didn't like thinking that he was cute, they could deal with each other. Nora and Jake, out to rule the school of Hogwarts, one freak-show at a time. They were an odd pair of friends, as Aro and his friends had quickly pointed out to her. She only raised an eyebrow at them, because the three of them were odd as well. They had been the ones to spike the punch at a certain birthday party for no apparant reason, and that was pretty odd as well.

She sat on the couch in the Slytherin Common Room, where they had discussed they would meet before going to the ball. The only reason Lenore was there before Jake was the fact that Esme had made sure to get her ready before she would, and since Esme took hours to get ready, Lenore had been primmed for the ball since five, when it had started at 7. She examined her manicured nails and crossed her right leg over her left, staring intently at where the paint had smudged. She whipped out her wand to fix it, and then noticed that her curled hair was getting wispy. After another touchup, she uncrossed her legs and stood up, when she saw her date making his way down the stairs.

"Hey Jake. Let's get this thing over with." Lenore sarcastically rolled her eyes and started making her way out of the common room. At least the Slytherins didn't have to climb in and out of a hole like the Gryffindors. Now her dress wouldn't get soiled at all.

[Jacob Brant]

Jacob stood in front of his full-length mirror, fighting a battle with his tie. His tie was winning. Jacob was not used to this. He'd never attended a ball before, so he really had no idea what to expect. Apparently you had to look your best, but Jacob knew for a fact he spectacular every day. Appearance was sort of important when one was trying to entice the opposite sex. And considering he'd had more success in that department than anyone else could ever dream to, he assumed he was a pretty attractive guy. Not to mention he'd been asked to this ball by a girl after the first time she ever met him.

His relationship with Nora was strictly platonic, but the fact that she'd liked him enough right off the bat to ask him to the ball didn't hurt his ego. She was too young to be attractive to Jacob, and he was sure he was too old to be of any interest to her. Well, maybe not. Girls often had crushes on rapidly older men, but it didn't matter either way. She was...a friend. That word - friend - was still difficult for Jacob to get. Before they parted ways that day at the lake, she'd called him a "pal". Jacob had never had friends, nor had he ever wanted any. Friends were useless, unless they were friends with benefits. And then, to be honest, he was only in it for the benefits. But when he'd met Nora, he realized that a friend could be of some sort of use to him. It had been enjoyable to be sarcastic and witty without caring if those behaviours would make the girl want to hook up with him or not. In fact, Nora had a very similar sense of humour, despite their obvious differences.

Jacob finally wrestled his tie into place and stared at himself in the mirror, smirking. He looked pretty damn good. The goal for the night was to laugh at as many tools as possible, and to steal as many of their dates as he could. He heard that the ball was like the good boy breeding ground, and there was nothing he liked better than intimidating a goodie-two-shoes with his miraculous womanizing skills. Really, calling it a skill was the understatement of the year. It was more like a superpower. The Womanizer, they would call him - killing self-esteem, one girlfriend theft at a time. He laughed silently at his own joke and headed out of the boys dormitory.

As he walked down the stairs, he saw Nora there waiting for him. She looked like a dainty little Slytherin princess, and Jacob made a mental note to make fun of her for it later.

"Hey Jake. Let's get this thing over with." Lenore sarcastically rolled her eyes and started making her way out of the common room.

Jacob laughed at her sarcasm. Though she seemed so unenthusiastic about going, Jacob couldn't help but wonder if she was excited underneath all her eye-rolling.

"Quick, drag me there before I change my mind!" he joked, covering his eyes with one hand dramatically, and holding out the other hand for her to pull on. "Jacob Brant at a ball. It's a blasphemy!"

[Lenore Pelletier]

"Quick, drag me there before I change my mind!" he joked, covering his eyes with one hand dramatically, and holding out the other hand for her to pull on. "Jacob Brant at a ball. It's a blasphemy!"

Lenore rolled her eyes at Jacob. He could be so dramatic at times, but then again, so could she. Lenore tended to overreact in certain situations, especially when it regarded Jacob. Their first meeting had been traumatizing for her, and it still did give her chills to think about it, though she couldn't differentiate whether those chills were from joy or disgust and fear. She had called him a pal, though, because he had taught her something as simple as skipping a rock. She had kept one of the rocks that he had put in her lap, as a memoir from a day that might have changed her view on boys forever.

She noticed that his hand was outstretched, and seemed to analyze it quite carefully. How her hand would fit in his alone was an enigma, as his hands were so much larger than her small dainty ones. She imagined that it would be warm and soft, but strong and assertive at the same time. She wondered what her's would feel like in his. Would it be cold and clammy, like that of her Great-aunt Geneva's, or cool and delicate, like a rose petal. She wanted to reach out and grab it, but at the same time, wasn't sure what to expect. She tentatively took his hand in her's, and started pulling him, as if leading the way to the ball.

"Open your eyes, silly! I can't guide you the whole way you know." She smiled slightly though, as he was great at easing her tension. He could probably tell that she was a bit nervous, but she just need to walk off the little feelings she felt at the bottom of her stomach.

"As long as you don't break too many hearts tonight, I think it'll be a good showing." Lenore tried being reassuring, though her tone didn't sound so. She let out a sigh. "I just hope we don't run into my stupid brother Jasper. He's in your year, but you should know that. He's so stifling at times, you know. You're way better." She winked at him awkwardly but ended up laughing it off. Lenore had found it easier to talk to Jacob about things that bugged her. She didn't worry that he would go off running to others, telling them her secrets. The fact that they were so similar, yet so different, made their friendship better than that of others. She realized she was still holding his hand and colored slightly, slowly letting go of his hand but hanging onto his pinky with her's. Holding pinkies hardly meant anything suggestive of relationships anyways.

[Jacob Brant]

Lenore rolled her eyes at Jacob. "Open your eyes, silly! I can't guide you the whole way you know."

Jacob laughed as Nora rolled her eyes at him. It felt as if she was scolding him; like she was the parent and he was the over-dramatic, disobedient child - even though he was three years older than her. It was sort of hilarious how mature she tried to act as he pretended to pout about going to the Ball; like she was filling some sort of maturity void that he created when he acted childish. Though, he wasn't completely mature to begin with. There were aspects of Jacob that were mature beyond his years, but others were slightly underdeveloped. He supposed the ability to seduce seventh year girls was worth not having the basic social skills, like sharing, that he should have learned when he was five.

Sharing was like the first thing a child is supposed to be taught, but Jacob never learned. If he wanted something, the only way to get it was to take it. Asking politely or waiting his turn had never gotten him anywhere with his family. They were either too drunk or too depressed to notice him, and if he hadn't stolen from the neighbours or stolen from his own family, he probably would have died. Most of his neighbours didn't have enough to share if he'd asked them. Taking was the only option. It was survival of the fittest. The way he saw it, if he gave half of what he had to someone else, he had less than he had before. If the other person was smart, they'd find a way to take what they needed from someone less intelligent. There would always be stupid people walking around with things they didn't deserve.

This philosophy had transfered over to other areas of Jacob's life, too. If Jacob saw a boy with a girl infinitely more attractive than him, Jacob saw it as his duty to take her away from him. And that was what he would do at the Ball. He grinned as he thought about it. Oh, what a grand night it would be.

"As long as you don't break too many hearts tonight, I think it'll be a good showing." Lenore tried being reassuring, though her tone didn't sound so. She let out a sigh. "I just hope we don't run into my stupid brother Jasper. He's in your year, but you should know that. He's so stifling at times, you know. You're way better." She winked at him awkwardly but ended up laughing it off.

Nora could be really weird sometimes, but Jacob found it intriguing. She would act a certain way one minute, and then reel herself in, as if she made a mistake. It had happened multiple times on their first meeting. When she had asked him to the Ball, for example, she had looked as if she regretted it immediately. Now, she was letting go of his hand but still holding his pinkie. It was cute. He wanted to laugh out loud about it, but he didn't want to embarrass her. Her hesitance and awkwardness made Jacob wonder what exactly she was so afraid of.

"Me? Break hearts?" Jacob asked, donning a surprised and offended look. "Now, Nora, when have I ever done such a thing?" He laughed, unable to keep a straight face throughout that sentence. He shared her sentiments about Jasper, though. "I agree. Let's try to not spend too much time with the brothers. I know you said it was fine, but...you know how I feel about brothers."

Brothers and Jacob shouldn't go together if those brothers were brothers to a sister. It was a complicated thought, but it made sense to Jacob. A brother of a sister would hate Jacob just on principle, given his reputation. Add a brother plus Jacob, and it was like adding oil and water. No, it was more than just not mixing. It was like putting two Siamese fighting fish in the same bowl - at least one of them wasn't going to make it out alive.

[Lenore Pelletier]

"Me? Break hearts?" Jacob asked, donning a surprised and offended look. "Now, Nora, when have I ever done such a thing?" He laughed, unable to keep a straight face throughout that sentence. He shared her sentiments about Jasper, though. "I agree. Let's try to not spend too much time with the brothers. I know you said it was fine, but...you know how I feel about brothers."

Nora could understand why Jake felt the way he did about brothers. They would surely beat him to a pulp if he, say, broke the hearts of their sister. Though she hated admitting it, Jake had too pretty of a face to be punched at, though she also could imagine other girls fawning over him for that same reason. She had heard the many times Esme fawned over boys who had been in fights, and Aro had said it once: "Chicks dig scars." Surely enough, Jake would use the fact that girls loved scars and bruises to his advantage. It would only make sense, of course, especially since he was so good at manipulating others.

The pair of them acted so foolish with each other, it was almost impossible to act seriously. They hadn't encountered others while they were together, or else Lenore would probably put her rude mentality into overdrive. She couldn't be mean to Jacob, no matter how much she tried. So she stopped trying, and made a concentrated effort to be herself around him. She still found herself saying things she would never say to others, but then Jake was different. He was a friend, something she had not had before, and something she was glad to welcome. With a real friend, she could tell them stories and not worry that they would think of her less even if the story was silly. She didn't have to worry about the pressures of being pureblood. She could just be... Lenore.

"Sure Jake, we'll stay away from brothers. Don't worry." She looked down for a while and there was some silence between them. It was neither awkward nor comfortable. The only thing that was both awkward and comforting was the fact that she was holding his pinkie. She let go of it, however, as they reached the Great Hall.

The place had been decorated to the best of Hogwarts abilities. Sure, it was nicely decorated, but it wasn't nearly as great at it could have been. She let out a sigh, knowing that she did not need to feel disappointed in the slightest. In fact, she rather enjoyed the atmosphere, though the band was lacking in the musical department. "Ugh, this music is killing the mood. It sounds like a screaming banshee." She smirked slightly, knowing that Jacob would probably agree. But from what she could tell, his ears weren't listening to the music. His eyes were scanning the ballroom, and Lenore knew that she would be spending limited time with her friend at this ball. She understood that this was the way Jacob worked, but she felt a little disappointed that she couldn't captivate his attention for that long.

"Do you want to get punch while I get a table?" Lenore didn't wait for his answer and began walking towards one of the empty tables. She turned and looked over her shoulder at him, not sure of what he was going to do.

[Jacob Brant]

As they entered the Great Hall, Jacob grinned at Nora's obvious displeasure as she scanned the room, judging harshly everything from the wall decorations to the centrepieces on the table. He was sure that she was thinking about how much better the room would look had she been the one in charge of decorating it. Though he found her expression humorous, he was sure she was right, too. The room was really not Jacob's style at all. He grimaced slightly as he took it all in. It looked as if someone had puked glitter and icicles all over it.

"Ugh, this music is killing the mood. It sounds like a screaming banshee."

He couldn't have put it better himself. He had never been a fan of wizard music, especially the ridiculous wizard rock band that was butchering a tune on the stage as they spoke. He opened his mouth to say that he preferred Muggle music, but stopped himself. He realized he had never told her, or anyone, that he was a Muggle-born. For some reason everyone assumed he was a pureblood. It probably stemmed from the time or two...or six, that he'd lied about his blood status to seduce a girl. He really didn't see the issue with the whole blood purity thing, but he kept his mouth shut. No need to stir the pot.

Before he could reply to Nora, he noticed a startling redheaded girl standing a few feet away from them. He only had a slight side view of her, but he could tell she was drop-dead gorgeous. It was like Nora's lovable and witty Jake disappeared and the womanizing Jacob took his place. If Nora hadn't been standing beside him, guilting him to stay put, he would have walked over and began to work his magic on the girl. He shifted uncomfortably, resiting his instincts. Oh Nora, he thought to himself. The things I do for you.

"Do you want to get punch while I get a table?"

Jacob turned to reply, but she had already begun to walk towards a table. He began to make his way over to the table with the bright red punch, making sure to pass through the line of vision of the hot redhead. Maybe she would come to him, and then Nora would have to forgive him for temporarily ignoring her. She would understand that he would be unable to resist if the girl approached him, and not the other way around. As he poured the first glass of punch, he hoped that he would hook up with at least one girl that night. If the first girl was the redhead, it certainly wouldn't hurt his ego.

[Esme Pelletier]

Esme had help her sister get ready for her first ball rather quickly, as she didn't want to take time away from her own "getting ready" time. She was the fashionista of the family, and she intended on upholding her reputation as one of the most beautiful girls in Slytherin. Her almond shaped eyes and sultry smile made many boys swoon, and she expected that by the end of the night she would have bagged another person's date. She was rather surprised that Lenore actually wanted to go to the ball, but Lenore was insistent on the fact that Esme would dress her. It must have been because Esme was the only person with a decent and honorable sense of style. Esme had sent her sister downstairs to do whatever while she got ready. She expected her to be there when she went down, but if she wasn't it would be all the better. She wanted to walk in by herself to make a better impression.

She applied her mascara in controlled smooth moves, finally finishing her makeup. Her hair was tamed from it's usual wavy curves to soft curls that cascaded down like ringlets. It accentuated the red hair she had somehow inherited from the Irish branch of their family. Her light hazel eyes stood out more than ever as she wore a dark red dress that was given to her for another occasion much earlier before. She preferred wearing old clothes (though the dress was in such good condition it was hard to tell) to fickle occasions like the ball because she never knew what could happen afterwards. She was only thirteen, but she was far more experienced than the majority of her class.

She managed to find a strappy pair of black heels, which would probably come off very quickly, after she accomplished what she set out to do at the ball. She took the descent down to the common room, and then up to the Great Hall, which was disgustingly decorated. While some may have thought that it's streamers and banners were lavish, in Esme's eyes, they were gaudy. She preferred simplicity and antiquity, both of which were absent in the Great Hall. She overcame the urge to vomit from the strong cologne scent of overeager boys that she would veer away from. But then there was a somewhat familiar face that caught her eye, and she couldn't help but eye-flirt.

The face she saw was next to one that was even more familiar. Lenore had a date to the ball, did she? Esme smiled in happiness for her sister, but only for a moment. Her date was older, older than Lenore, and older than Esme. It seemed odd, if not improbable. She looked at her date again, who seemed to be luring her in the same manner that she had used with many other boys. At least he was Slytherin, and she assumed he was pureblood, since Lenore wouldn't even associate herself with anything less than that. As the pair of them went to go sit down, she saw the boy sit down with Lenore and give her a glass of punch. She began to walk towards their table, keeping eye contact with the older year, but at the last moment, she changed course and made her way to the punch table. She slowly poured herself a glass of punch, making her movements slow and deliberate. She hoped he would finish his drink quickly and come talk to her, as she wasn't the only person that wanted something more.

[Lenore Pelletier]

Lenore was a bit annoyed with the fact that Jacob had already begun ogling at the other girls of the night. She didn't want to seem jealous, but it was easy to say that she was. She wanted for him to spend at least an hour with her, but that was proving to be a little much. Lenore knew, going into the night, that he would quickly find another person that captivated his attention physically. He was addicted to "nailing" girls, and the whole conquest probably drove his addiction. Lenore frowned upon it, mainly because she couldn't see how he could just go hook up with any girl without thinking that there weren't going to be any strings attached. Lenore was also grossed out that he overlooked if a girl was muggleborn or halfblood. He really should inspect where he was putting his business before hooking up.

As she sat at the table for a little while longer, she couldn't help but feel that she was on some sort of pity date. She had a mask on her face, which made it seem like she was mildly enjoying herself. But inside, she hurt, but only enough to realize that she shouldn't be hung up over a guy that she didn't even like romantically. She couldn't help but feel that she wasn't interesting enough for Jacob to even want to be around for at least a few minutes. She ignored her straying thoughts, and reminded herself that they had come to the ball to have fun. They just wouldn't have fun together. Jacob would find a girl, and Lenore would be stuck with hanging out with one of her brothers' friends. Fun.

She saw Jacob bringing back the punch and gave him a slight smile. The would probably be some of the last things she said to him that night, because she couldn't bear just being around him without having his full attention. When Jake was distracted, he really was committed to being distracted. She took a sip of the cheaply made punch, and looked out to the dance floor. Adam Waybecker, from across the way, gave her a small wave, and she acknowledged it by waving back, ever so slightly. "Jake, I think I'm going to go hang out with Adam. Is that ok with you?" She didn't want to make it seem like she was giving him permission to leave, but she didn't want to just leave and not do anything. It was convenient that Adam was there, because the two of them could talk and have something reminiscent of fun. "I think I'll just go. See you later."

Lenore got up from the table, leaving the nasty punch behind her, and walked towards Adam. She couldn't bear to look at who Jacob was going to hook up with, because it would hurt her too much. She didn't want to know what trash he would rather be with than her. She put a pained smile on her face as she walked towards Adam. He, like Aro, knew too much about her personal feelings. "Do you mind if I hang out with you tonight?" Lenore didn't know what to do other than just be with her other friends. She was too hurt by Jacob's implied actions to do anything else.

[Jacob Brant]

"Jake, I think I'm going to go hang out with Adam. Is that ok with you?" She didn't want to make it seem like she was giving him permission to leave, but she didn't want to just leave and not do anything. It was convenient that Adam was there, because the two of them could talk and have something reminiscent of fun. "I think I'll just go. See you later."

As Jacob silently ogled the redhead by the punch table, he heard Nora speak. He turned to face her, her words slowly registering with him. In truth, he was slightly offended. In the back of his mind he had hoped that Nora would spend the evening with him. Then again, he hadn't exactly hidden his wandering eyes. Maybe it was his fault. Regardless, he thought as he glared at Adam, if Nora wanted to spend her night with little loser What's-his-face, then who was he to stop her? Jacob shook his head a little. Why was he acting so irrationally. He had no reason to be mad at the little tweerp. If he was more interesting and fun to hang around then Jacob himself, then Nora had every right to hang out with him. Besides, that probably wasn't even the case. She was probably trying to give him his space so that he could wind up enjoying his night in true Jacob fashion - topless somewhere with a girl. Or maybe two.

"Sure, go for it," he replied, forcing a small smile that came out more like a smirk. "Don't leave me alone all night," he added, before waving her off.

Sighing, Jacob turned around to face the punch table. The gorgeous redhead was still standing there, her body language screaming for him to approach her. He downed the rest of the punch. It wasn't as good as the punch at Jacqueline's birthday party. But then again, that punch had definitely been laced with something. He grinned at the memory and began to swagger over to the punch table.

When he got there he smiled with his usual mischievous charm and finally made eye contact with the redhead. She was even more beautiful close up. Jacob slowly poured himself a glass of punch. The way she was looking at him indicated that she had every intention of hooking up with him if she could. Jacob liked a challenge, but sometimes easy was the way to go. Effort wasn't always necessary or enjoyable. And as he looked at the redheaded girl, he knew he wanted to kiss her as quickly as possible. She was truly one of the hottest girls he'd ever seen - and she was interested in him. Not that that was at all surprising.

"Don't tell me you're here all by yourself," he began casually, grinning. "I would find that very hard to believe."

[Adam Waybecker]

Adam stood at the opposite end of the ballroom, seemingly unaward of what was going on during the End-of-term ball. This was his first year going to the ball, officially, since last term him, Aro, and Akiva, were up to no good. Again. He had decided to come with Aro and Akiva again, to this year's ball, but he found himself alone after the two of them found the food bar that was filled with cakes and pastries and punch (which surprisingly, was not spiked). Adam looked around at the rest of the people in the ball room, noticing the few lame Gryffindor and Hufflepuff couples dancing on the ballroom floor. His eyes turned to the entrance way where he saw Esme Pelletier. His jaw dropped and eyes widened. He couldn't believe that Esme could even look more beautiful than she already did. He wanted to even go as far as to talk to her, but he knew as soon as she looked at him, he would be tongue-tied. She seemed like she already had an agenda, going into the dance, and her eyes were pointed towards... Jacob Brant, an older year notorious for things that weren't spoken about at the dinner table. And he was with Lenore... what was going on?

Apparently Lenore had a date, which was surprisingly since she didn't seem like the type of girl who actually went to balls. Adam didn't think Lenore was the date type either, which made the fact that she was with Jacob Brant so much more puzzling. Clearly, the idea of her being his date was short-lived, because she seemed to be leaving her "date" early into the night. The expression on her face was a little peeved, but Adam wasn't about to ask her about it. She was coming towards him and Adam wasn't sure what to expect.

"Do you mind if I hang out with you tonight?"

Adam immediately sensed a little bit of desperation in her voice. He looked over her shoulder and saw a certain Jacob Brant making his way over to Esme Pelletier. He felt his own dreams getting a little crushed. He assumed that the same feelings Adam had for Esme, Lenore had for Jacob. It was outlandish and childish, but at least they both knew they never had a chance with their crushes. But at least Lenore had a few conversations with Jacob (Adam wasn't sure how developed their relationship was). Adam had only spoken to Esme a few times, and that was only when he was at the Pelletier mansion hanging out with Aro. He hardly thought she knew his name.

Adam smirked at Lenore. Since Aro and Akiva was busy stuffing their faces and being unsociable, Adam might as well have spent the rest of the night with Lenore. "That would be awesome, since your brother and Akiva have decided that treacle tarts are more fun than I am." He tried making the mood lighter, and he could tell that Lenore was making a concentrated effort to have fun. "Hey, you can be yourself around me, you know that?" He put his arm around her shoulder and led her to the dance floor. The night could be forgotten in a haze of bad music and cheesy lighting, for once.